LOS ANGELES — Jonathan Mooney, an author and graduate of Brown University, has written a book that chronicles the experiences of numerous individuals around the U.S. with special needs. It is titled The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal and was published by Henry Holt & Company Inc.

Mooney, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, struggled with attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder as a child and was placed in special-education classes throughout his early education. He also has dyslexia, and both conditions were difficult for him to come to terms with as he was growing up.

His goal in writing the book was to talk to other people who have lived with disabilities and find out how they have (or have not) overcome being labeled "abnormal" or "different." He gathered the stories by traveling around the country for several months in a bus designed for special-needs students.

Of his journey, Mooney said, "What I was learning was the notion of disability as, inherently, a social construct. These experiences were not those of people intrinsically defective or broken but were tales of human variance, differences and diversity."

He is currently giving talks around the country in support of his book. For more information on Mooney and his work, visit http://www.jonathanmooney.com.